Car-loading device



w. G. STEVENSON.

CAR LOADING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED OCT- 5, I918.

Patented May 18, 1920.

3 SHEEIS-SHEET I.

" Inn W. G. STEVENSON.

vCAR LOADING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5. 1918.

0 r 73% s K W. G. STEVENSON CAR LOADING DEVICE- APPLICATION FILED- OCT- 5. 191a.

- Patented May18;1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3:

- 1720672857" WZZZZ'am 6'. imam WILLIAM G. STEVENSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CAR-LOADING DEVICE.

Specification of Iettcrs Patent. Patented lylay 18, 1920,

Application filed October 5, 1918. Serial No. 256,943.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLiAM G. STEVEN- soN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Loading Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved loading device which is particularly adaptable for loading comminuted material, such as sand or grain, into closed box cars.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced heretofore in loading sand, grain or similar fine material into box cars through the side door thereof, it having been a laborious task to get the material into the corner sections of the car. The object of my invention is therefore to provide an improved and simple device which can be projected a short distance into the car through the ordinary side door thereof and adjusted and aimed to project the material to any place desired so that the corner and end sections of the car can be as readily filled as the middle section.

My improved loading device is clearly shown on the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on plane 33, Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on Fig. 2.

A horizontal extending beam structure comprises side beams 5 and 6 in the form of channel bars. The beam structure is mounted to be shifted longitudinally. On a suitable support 7, which may be the window or door sill of a building, are secured the bearing frames 8 and 9 in which a horizontal shaft 10 is journaled and which between the bearings carries the flanged wheels 11 and 12 on which the beams 5 and 6 rest. On rear supports 13 are secured the bearing frames 14 journaling the shaft 15 on which is another set of flanged wheels 16 on which the beams also rest. Above the shaft 15 is the shaft 17 journaled in the bearings 18 also secured to the support 13 and having flanged wheels 19 and 20 thereon against which the tops of the beams plane 4 4,

engage, the three sets of wheels holding the beam structure in horizontal alinement while it is shifted longitudinally. Secured to the beams are the angle bars 21 and 22 to which are fastened the gear racks 23 and 24 with which gear pinions 25 and 26 mesh, these pinions being secured on the shaft 27 which is ournaled in bearing fittings 28 se cured tov a suitable support 29, a hand wheel 30 being secured to one end of the shaft. Upon turning of the shaft the beam can be readily shifted outwardly or inwardly as required.

Extending between and secured to the outer ends of the beams is the bearing frame 31 which has the central vertically extending hub 32 for receiving the pivot pin 33 of the turn table 34. The frame 31 may be in two sections bolted together as shown in Fig. 4 and forms a housing for the worm wheel 35 and the worm 36, the worm wheel being keyed to the pin 33. The worm is on the shaft 37 which extends outwardly through suitable openings in the beams 5 and 6 and has at its ends the hand wheels 38 and 39 by means of which it can be turned from either side of the machine, turning of the shaft causing turning of the turn table 34 in a horizontal plane.

The turn table supports the loading apparatus, the framework for which comprises the side beams 40 and 41 which at their outer ends are held in proper alinement by a spacer 42 and at their inner ends by the plate 43 secured thereto. This plate also supports a platform or shelf 44 on which an electric motor 45 is mounted. At their outer ends the beams are slotted for receiving adjustable bearing frames 46 and 47, the screws 48 and 49 swiveled to the bearing frames extending through end frames 50 and 51 on the beams through nuts 52 in said beams and terminating in hand wheels 53 and 54. The bearing frames journal the transverse shaft 55 on which is mounted a flanged pulley 56 which extends between the beams, the outer end of the shaft carrying the belt pulley 57 connected by belt 58 with the pulley 59 of the driving motor.

At the opposite sides of the turn table 34 are the vertical bearing extensions 60 and 61, one end of the shaft 62 extending through the opening 63 in the beam 41 and being journaled in the bearing 61. The other end of the shaft extends through the beam 40 and the lug 64 thereon, this lug being journaled in the bearing 60. At its outer end the lug has secured thereto the worm wheel 65, and in bearing extensions 66 and 67 on the bearing is journaled the shaft 68 carrying the worm 69 which meshes with the worm wheel. The housing 70 resting on the bearing extensions incloses the worm.

Between the beams 40 and 41 the belt pulley 72 is rotatably moiuited on the shaft 62 and around this pulley and the outer pulley 56 the conveyer belt 73 travels. By turning the hand wheels 53 and 5d the tension of this belt can. be regulated. hen the hand wheel '71 is turned the worm wheel 65 and the lug 64 extending from the loading frame are turned and the loading frame with the mechanism thereon is swung in a vertical plane.

Secured by brackets Tel to the beams 4.0 and ll and located above the inner end of the belt 73 is the hopper frame 75 comprising side and rear walls. 76 represents a chute for delivering to the hopper the material to be loaded.

Describing now the operation, the car C to be loaded is run into position so that the beam structure 5, 6 can be projected thereinto through the door opening (Z. The hand wheel 30 is then turned to shift the beam structure the desired distance into the car and then the chute 76 adjusted to deliver material to the hopper. The motor is then started and the material which is to be loaded will be carried by the belt and thrown therefrom. By turning of the hand wheels 38 and 39 and the hand wheel 71 be direction of throw can be readily adjusted for. Turning of either of the hand wheels 38 or 39 will cause rotation of the belt supporting loading mechanism in a horizontal plane, while turning of the wheel 71 will swing it in a vertical plane. is the end of the hopper is over the pin the hopper will always be in position with reference to the chute to receive material. By swinging the loader horizontally and vertically, that is by properly aiming it, the material will be accurately projected from the belt to any place desired in the car and the end and cor ner sections can be readily and entirely filled up so that the full volume of the car is available for the material. As the belt will project the material to a considerable distance the loading device need be insertedonly a short distance into the car which permits the center section of the car to be readily filled up.

My improved loading device is of simple and inexpensive construction and can be easily installed. I do not, of course, desire to be limited to the exact construction and arrangement shown and described as changes and modifications are no doubt possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim as follows:

1. In a loading mechanism of the class described, the combination of a support and a conveyer structure, said conveyer structure comprising a base, journal extensions on said base, a conveyer frame interposed at inner end between said journal extensions and having a hub extending into one of said journal extensions, a shaft extending through said hub and said other journal extension, a gear wheel secured to the outer end of said hub, driving mechanism for said gear wheel mounted on said base, operation of said drive mechanism causing rotation of said gear wheel and vertical swing of said frame, a belt pulley journaled on said shaft, another belt pulley at the outer end of said frame, a belt receiving. said pulleys, means for driving said belt, and means for charging material onto said belt.

2. In loading mechanism of the class described, the combination of a supporting beam, a base journaled on said beam for horizontal swing, ournal arms extending from said base, a conveyer frame interposed at its inner end between said journal arms and having a hub extending through one of said journal arms, 'a shaft extending through said. hub and other journal arm and receiving the opposite side of said conveyer frame, a gear wheel secured to the outer end of said hub, driving mechanism for said gear wheel mounted on said base, operation of said driving mechanism causing rotation of said gear wheel and vertical swing of said conveyer frame, a belt pulley journaled on said shaft, a companion belt pulley at the other end of said conveyer frame, a conveyer belt traveling over said pulleys, driving mechanism for said belt mounted on said conveyer frame, and means for turning said base to swing said conveyer frame laterally.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 30th day of September, A. D.

WILLIAM G. STEVENSON. 

